Body Found at Big Bird's Nest

The body of a female jogger was found Tuesday on property belonging to actor Carroll Spinney, who plays Big Bird on the long-running children's series.

Social worker Judith Nilan was reported missing by her husband Monday after she failed to return from a run. On Tuesday, police discovered her body in a shed on Spinney's property and proceeded to charge the actor's caretaker, Scott Deojay, with kidnapping.

Officials were planning to pursue murder charges against Deojay, but as the shed where Nilan's body was found straddles the Massachusetts-Connecticut border, issues of jurisdiction were still being worked out. Another hearing in the matter was scheduled for Friday.

Police said Spinney, who plays Oscar the Grouch in addition to Big Bird, was not a suspect in the crime.

Investigators linked Deojay to Nilan's death after discovering the jogger's headband near a bloody receipt signed by the caretaker after purchasing items for Spinney.

There were skid marks near the headband and a bloody trail led to the shed, where Nilan's body was found tied up, her jogging pants pulled down and her head bloody where she appeared to have been beaten.

Police said the caretaker claimed he hit the woman with his car accidentally, then panicked. He claimed to have dragged her into his car, driven her to Spinney's property, tied her up in order to pull her into the shed, where he deposited her body.

The Massachusetts medical examiner's office was performing an autopsy to determine the cause of death and whether Nilan had been sexually assaulted.

After police questioned Deojay, he reportedly tried to hang himself in his garage, but cut himself down after his girlfriend called 911.

The caretaker was being held on $510,000 bail.

As of Thursday evening, Spinney had not commented on the case.

"The only difference between a tax man and a taxidermist is that the taxidermist leaves the skin."